The Board of Education of the Jackson County School district, pursuant to 37-16-5, shall periodically assess student performance and achievement in each school. Such assessment programs shall be based upon local goals and objectives which are compatible with the state’s plan for education and which supplement the minimum performance standards approved by the State Board of Education. Data from district assessment programs shall be provided by the State Department of Education when such data is required in order to evaluate specific instructional programs or processes or when the data is needed for other research or evaluation projects. This district may provide acceptable, compatible district assessment data to substitute for any assessment data needed at the state level when State Department of Education certifies that such data is acceptable for the purposes of Section 37-16-3, as pursuant 37-16-5 (1983). The district adheres to all requirements of the Mississippi Assessment System.

The Jackson County School District administers a comprehensive student assessment program in accordance with the provisions of the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) regulations and the requirements of the College and Career Readiness Standards. The testing program is divided into three major components: The Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP), English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT), Mississippi Academic Assessment Program-Alternate (MAAP-A), Mississippi K-3 Assessment Support System (MKAS2), National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and the American College Testing Program (ACT).

The Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) assessment is administered to all students enrolled in Algebra I, English II, Biology, U.S. History from 1877, as well as grades 3 - 8 in reading, math, and science grades 5 & 8, including special education students whose Individual Education Plan (IEP) specifies instructional goals that are aligned with the MDE Curriculum Standards for Math and English.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Assessments are conducted periodically in mathematics, reading, science, writing, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history. Since NAEP assessments are administered uniformly using the same sets of test booklets across the nation, NAEP results serve as a common metric for all states and selected urban districts. The assessment stays essentially the same from year to year, with only carefully documented changes. This permits NAEP to provide a clear picture of student academic progress over time

The American College Test (ACT) is administered statewide during the spring semester to all students classified as Juniors in high school. 

The English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT) is an assessment administered to Kindergarten through 12th graders who have been officially identified as English learners (ELs). This assessment is administered annually to monitor English learners' progress in acquiring academic English.

The Kindergarten Readiness Assessment and the 3rd Grade Alternative Assessment are identified as (Kindergarten Readiness and 3rd Grade Reading Alternative Assessment). 

Mississippi, like all other U.S. states, is required under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) to provide high-quality alternate assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities (SCD).  The Mississippi Academic Assessment Program-Alternate (MAAP-A) assessments, just like the general assessments, must be aligned to academic content standards that apply to all students in Reading, Writing, and Mathematics in grades 3–8 and once in high school and in Science in at least one grade in each of the 3–5, 6–8, and high school grade ranges Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. (excerpt from MDE MAAP-A)